In his new role he will spend his time focusing on Waterford as a city of Innovation
Kevin Doolin, Executive Director of Walton Institute at SETU, was elected President of Waterford Chamber at the 238th AGM, which took place today (Monday, September 30th) in the Granville Hotel.
Mr Doolin has been involved with Waterford Chamber for a number of years and is an active voice in terms of lobbying, particularly around equitable funding for SETU and creating a vibrant city centre.
Making our city better for everyone
Addressing Waterford Chamber members, Mr Doolin said: “It is a great honour for me to be nominated by the board and endorsed by the members to serve as Chamber President.
“For the year ahead I want to focus on Waterford as a City of Innovation. Within my own work in Walton Institute at SETU, the innovation there is mind-blowing and world-renowned. But innovation isn’t just about technology and new discoveries, it can be seen in retail, tourism, housing and education. We need to be thinking outside the box, looking at ways to make our city better for everyone and I am looking forward to many meaningful engagements in this regard.
“I want to see the addition of Pharmacy in SETU become a reality during my tenure, I want to watch the North Quays grow into a catalyst for economic growth and we need to get the Airport over the line. As the old adage goes, lots done, more to do and I’m excited to get started.”
Substantial progress in the last ten years
Reporting on Chamber activity, Chamber CEO Gerald Hurley outlined how they had recently conducted a ten-year review, by saying, “We wanted to gauge how far we have come and I am delighted to say the findings were astonishing. In terms of membership, we have seen an increase of 35%. As for financials, we went from a deficit in 2014 to a very healthy surplus you can see today, which has put Waterford Chamber in a strong financial footing. This means that we now have the capacity to grow the team, and we have been able to invest in moving from the Shop Local paper-based gift vouchers to credit card style, which are more user-friendly and will help drive footfall in the city centre.
“We all want a vibrant business community, increased footfall, better incentives so we can keep the doors open. We haven’t been afraid to tackle the hard issues with Government Ministers and Oireachtas members – whether it’s on the 9% VAT rate, lack of equitable funding for SETU, delayed decision making in terms of Waterford Airport, the need to tackle dereliction in our city centre or the housing crisis, among other issues.”
SETU a university of substance and international standing
As for SETU, he added: “Over the past year, we have been extremely vocal in our desire to see SETU receive equitable funding and become a university of substance and international standing. Its prominent position in our Pre-Budget submission, compiled by leading economist Jim Power, on our behalf, pays testament to that.
We were delighted to bring the regional Chambers with us in our support for the Veterinary School at SETU, and we worked with several stakeholders to get this over the line. We will now move forward with our support for Pharmacy along with the expansion of the School of Nursing and hope for a similar outcome.”
For full story visit the Waterford Chamber website.